PENNSYLVANIA: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University have recently found that iron deficiency anaemia therapy significantly reduced the buildup of harmful dental plaque and had a targeted effect on those bacteria primarily responsible for tooth decay.
Yuan Liu, the lead author of the research and colleagues, conducted a study in which a combination of ferumoxytol, an iron-oxide nanoparticle-containing solution and hydrogen peroxide was applied to natural tooth enamel while placed in a denture-like appliance and worn by the study subjects. The FDA has recently approved Ferumoxytol as an iron supplement to treat iron deficiency in patients with renal failure.
For the study, researchers divided the participants into three groups: one using the hydrogen peroxide rinse after the ferumoxytol rinse, one rinsing with a ferumoxytol solution containing inactive ingredients, and the third rinsing with water alone. Moreover, all the participants were asked just to rinse the appliance twice a day without brushing the enamel specimens.
After 14 days, the researchers analyzed the biofilms that accumulated on the enamel specimens. They found the experimental treatment potently reduced the growth of biofilms containing S. mutans and could kill this bacteria with high specificity.
The results showed that twice daily application of ferumoxytol, which activated hydrogen peroxide contained in a follow-up rinse, disrupted the biofilms, particularly those formed by Streptococcus mutans, which cause caries and reduced the extent of enamel decay.
The study, 'Ferumoxytol Nanoparticles Target Biofilms Causing Tooth Decay in the Human Mouth' has been published in the journal Nano Letters.
